Guwahati: Senior citizens in the city are increasingly falling prey to cyber frauds as criminals exploit their growing dependence on smartphones and digital services through digital arrests, fraudulent loan offers and fake investment schemes, with 18-20 cybercrime cases being reported daily, police said.“Fraudsters impersonate police, RBI, or govt officials, alleging unauthorised transactions, misuse of the victim’s SIM, or anti-national activities. They induce fear and demand money for verification, providing accounts falsely claimed to be official or RBI accounts and promising refunds. The transferred money is subsequently not returned…,” said Chandan Das, OC of the cyber police station.Das said WhatsApp and Telegram were increasingly being used to run fake investment schemes. Victims are added to investment groups by unknown persons, where members post screenshots and claims of high returns. These posts persuade victims to invest, often resulting in substantial financial losses.“Digital arrest scams are essentially narrative-driven social-engineering frauds. People have lost around Rs 45–50 lakh in such scams, while the highest reported loss a person faced in an investment scam has been as much as Rs 3.5 crore,” he said.Cybercriminals are using malicious APK files disguised as e-challans or other legitimate-looking documents to target victims. Once downloaded and opened, these files can allow fraudsters to access victims’ devices, steal information and siphon money from their bank accounts.A similar method was recently used by fraudsters impersonating Guwahati Jal Board officials. They sent fake water-bill alerts and threatened victims with disconnection of water services, persuading them to download or open malicious APK files.Police believe fraudsters are increasingly targeting elderly people because of their growing reliance on smartphones. Psychologists, however, said the increasing number of activities they perform on mobile phones had also increased their vulnerability.“Many elderly people increasingly depend on mobile phones for social interaction, and with growing cases of isolation, the phone has become an important means of staying connected for them,” said Nimi Buragohain, a city-based psychologist.
